So many separate events --- the First World War, the ascension of Emperor Charles of Austria, the failure of his peace plan, the reign of Czar Nicholas of Russia, the shenanigans of Rasputin, the collapse of Russia's first revolutionary government and the rise of Lenin --- all these are tied together to show that God really is in control. The appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Portugal in that fateful year of 1917 brings it all home. I have long been fascinated by the events of the Russian Revolution, but until I read this book I had only a vague notion of the pattern, the proof, that these were not just random events happening without reason. Human beings brought about the terrible First World War, and all the tragedies and disasters that led to Russia's fall to Communism. But God has managed to let all things work for good, ultimately. This is a fascinating and educational book. Enjoy it!

1917 was the year the USA entered WWI, the year of the Communist revolution, and the year of Our Lady of Fatima. This book ties these three stories together with fascinating accounts and riveting anecdotes. Read about the year's great leaders and their attempts to re-shape the world, while all along, in a peaceful village in Portugal, the Queen of Heaven had the formula for peace. The book is a must for anyone studying WWI and the Communist revolution. First rate Catholic history.

An outstanding story told by an outstanding writer. I want to meet Rosanne Klass and listen to the voice that is behind one of the most beautiful styles and crucial messages in today's world. Her portraits of the people she knew in Afghanistan (especially Gul Baz) and her descriptions of that country are "poetry." Her explanations of customs and mores of the Afghanistan people are touching and informative, told from the point of view of a young teacher with an open mind. I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to gain some understanding of the people who have lived in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan for centuries.

The writer has a very kindly and personal point of view. Very good book!

Though some of the statistics used in the appendix were outdated when this book was publised, this book is well worth the cost and the time to read it. A different perspective is presented, made, at least in part, possible due to the amount of time and fieldwork that the author was able to use in writing this book. The point is well made that the situation in many of the former Soviet republics was far more complex at the time this book was written than many thought. This was true in 1995, and remains so today.

Written in 1995, a lot of the details are now outdated, especially political. However, the same trends and underlying causes remain, which makes this book an excellant one if one is seeking to understand the background for the regions discussed in this book.

This book gives an fantastic insight to the recent ethnic wars that followed by the break-up of the Soviet Union. The book also gives us a sobering view that the breakaway republic conflicts against Russia will continue into the near future.

Patrick Morris has written an exceptional book detailing Anaconda's unique history. He captures the flavor of a city whose birth was sculpted by the great dreams of pioneer capitalists (those famous warring copper kings) and very hard-working pioneering men and women. To read this history of a town built upon a copper smelting industry, as documented through the prism of Anaconda perspectives--and not just as another sideline adjunct to Butte's storied copper mining--is a long overdue pleasure. This is a very readable book that speaks to Anaconda's importance to the copper mining and smelting industry in Montana.

Seems very factual and concise about the early history of the town, Marcus Daly the man and the Anaconda company. Very interesting and I am sure that everyone will enjoy reading it. Very good insight into the area history.

I am a former Russian journalist and a documentary filmmaker who has also worked at NASA in the US.

"The Anatomy of Russian Defense Conversion" touches on many more subjects then just Russian Defense Industry. This is a very thorough, informative and important work that analyses the history of US and Russian Defense Industries, weapons exports and conversion, and possibilities of transformation from a militarized to a civilian economy in the new millenium.

The book also reflects on the current state of defense industries in the US and Russia, and "brain drain", or loss of intellectual capital in Russia and other countries after the Cold War.

I found reflections in Arkady Yarovsky's chapter "From the Culture of War to the Culture of Peace" very contemporary, especially in the light of recent events in the Middle East:

"Our time is unfortunately still characterized as "the culture of war." The culture of war is evident first and foremost in the hostilities between people and states, between nations and faiths, and in the inability to solve conflicts by peaceful means... Humanity has made it into the third millenium because the lust for power has been restrained by fear of nuclear war, but this restraint is not to be counted on permanently... The danger hidden in the separateness of people of different countries, unfortunately, remains a legacy for the next century... If humanity renounces the legacy of the culture of war, it can start down the road of cooperation, peaceful creation, and enlightenment. This is the only road leading to the culture of peace."

One can imagine that I, as a small child living in San Antonio, Texas, next to three Air Force bases and an Army base, living through the Cuban missile crisis, thought about the threat of the Russian military. I also met my parents' wonderful emigre' friends, and to this day have had warm relations with Russian people.

This book tells of the enormous cost to the Russian people of building and maintaining their war industry for so many years, a militarized economy where people got second best. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, defense industry just about shut down, but civilian industry has not grown great enough to support the population. There are horrendous unemployment, and terrible health and social problems. There is some danger that the path of least resistance for Russia, if we neglect the situation, could be to re-start weapons production, for export at first.

In my opinion, the United States also, to a lesser degree, has neglected the manufacture of quality consumer goods, importing them instead, and has let its physical economy deteriorate, despite much activity in the financial sector. We, too, have been insufficiently careful of the environment. This book provides some idea of what these trends could lead to, if carried to extremes.

Perhaps the involvement of United States companies in Russia, could lead to more of a recognition here, of the importance of the physical economy. Hopefully, both countries could also work to put industry on a healthy environmental footing as well.

There is awareness of the problem of Russian defense conversion, at high levels of our government. I hope this book helps educate people and sustain that interest.

the author wrote the story beautifuly and its an amazingly true story

This is one of my favorite books for gift-giving because the story is so beautiful and the message is so important. (And the illustrations are stunning!) Every time I read it to my kids, it stays in my mind for a long time...

I met Mr. Berezkhov in March at the Stalin Conference hosted by UCR. He was a very friendly man who has seen some interesting times. His book is one of the best that I have read. A basic knowledge of events at that time is definitely recommended, but those who know what was going on at the time will find this book appealing.

I took a class from Professor Berezhkov while he was teaching here in Claremont. This book was one of our texts. The only thing more thrilling than hearing Professor Berezhkov speak was reading the book. If anyone has an interest in Soviet politics or the inner machinations of World War II politics, this is the book to read. It pre-supposes some knowledge, but if one has an interest, and has a good general knowledge, I would definitely read this book. He tells things from an insider's point of view that I haven't found anything else to compare to. The prose gets dense in parts, so I wouldn't reccomend it for a complete beginner.

Anyone who wants to feel proud of being human must read this account by a noble and corageous woman, the worthy child of a noble and corageous father.

It was incedible to live through, in impeccable detail, the life of one who survived the camps of Joseph Stalin. Despite the murder of her husband and the seperation from her children because she was a supporter of Trotsky she maintained her dignity and her faith in humanity. Many have suffered less and surrendered more of their soul to their persecutors. Her recollections of the events are told as if they happened last week. If there is to be evidence that there is hope for human progress and a brighter socialist future for mankind out of the ashes of the suffering and intolerance of this past century, this woman is the human embodiment, the evidence, upon which such hope rests.

I have read all the books written by brothers A&B Strugatskii and would name them among my favourite authors. This particular book is actually a second and probably the most popular part of a trilogy where the main charachter is Maxim Kammerrer. In spite of that it can be easily read separately. The story will keep even the ones who do not like science fiction preoccupied for a few hours. The authors explore our fear of the unknown. What is the real purpose of the alien world and its beings? Are they offering a friendly hand or are they here to destroy us? Or, may be, they are merely passing by... To make matters more complicated, the potential alien does not know that he might be a walking bomb as Earth is the only home he had ever known...

Why would a SuperMan (or X-man) want to stick around on the little Earth, getting the poor humans out of various boring problems?

May be, because he (or she) does not realize his (or her) powers. Or, because, he feels gratefull or has some other emotional attachments.

But this things can not keep him for too long...

This book is very good & understandable. I like it mainly for the pictures.

Read this aloud with my children about 2 years ago. It sparked my son's interest in Civil War historical fiction. He is not an avid reader, but has read several civil war books including "Red Cap" by Clifton Wisler and just picked up "Across Five Aprils" for his sixth-grade historical fiction assignment. Jim Murphy is a fine writer, weaving quotes, diary entries and anecdotes into a lucent and revealing account of the lives of youths who participated in the Civil War. A fine book!